Elliotte Friedman drops a definitive Connor Hellebuyck update and reveals the Jets' intentions

Connor Hellebuyck still isn't showing up, and the Jets have handed the crease to Stuart Skinner and a fresh waiver claim.

Elliotte Friedman said the answer on whether Hellebuyck would report to start the season "was always going to be no," even if it costs him money. "He's stuck to that at this point in time."

Skinner was expected to start the opener at home against Boston. Also in the mix is Clay Stevenson, claimed off waivers from Washington this week.

Friedman thinks that duo could shift the whole situation. "Clay Stevenson deserves a chance to show he can play," he said.

If those two give Winnipeg real goaltending early, the Jets' demand for a goalie in any Hellebuyck deal might soften. "Could that break the logjam? I think we're all wondering about that."

The closest Winnipeg came to a deal was Buffalo at the draft. The Jets wanted the fourth overall pick, but didn't want to give the eighth back.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's no-trade list shuts one door on the Jets

Another option disappeared too. Friedman believes Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen now has Winnipeg on his no-trade list, so the Sabres goalie isn't available to them.

Luukkonen, 27, carries a $4,750,000 cap hit, the kind of number that would have made a Hellebuyck swap much easier to fit.

The fear in Winnipeg runs deep. Friedman said the Jets worry a bad Hellebuyck deal could leave them with "more players coming their way and asking out."

The Jets overplayed their hand at the draft. Asking for the fourth pick without giving back the eighth turned a workable framework into a dead end, and the market has only shrunk since.

Betting on two backups to fix this is like hoping the substitute teacher is so good the principal forgets the regular one quit.

Kevin Cheveldayoff still doesn't have an offer he likes. "As far as it stands right now," Friedman said, "I don't believe that there's a deal that they want."

The Jets visit Detroit on Sunday afternoon and Pittsburgh on Monday. That back-to-back hands Skinner and Stevenson an early audition with real stakes.

Should they hold up, Winnipeg can afford to wait. A shaky start, though, and Hellebuyck's absence becomes the loudest thing in the building.

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